Battle of the Lower Rhine: Allies suffered high losses in February 1945

Battle of the Lower Rhine: Allies suffered high losses in February 1945

On February 8, 1945, the decisive battle on the Lower Rhine began when British and Canadian forces initiated the attack on the heavily fortified Germany under the command of Feldmarschall Bernard Montgomery. This offensive, known as Operation Veritible started at 5 a.m. Allied drum fire in Europe, which included more than 11,000 tons of ammunition. In the first phase of the attack, over 300,000 British and Canadian soldiers gathered who advanced through the Reichswald. The main goals of this offensive were the German troops between the Rhine and the Maas and to secure important strategic positions.

The operation lasted 31 days and was officially ended on March 10, 1945 when the last German troops left the left side of the Rhine with the approval of the leader headquarters. Peace on the Lower Rhine joined the German Wehrmacht on May 8, 1945 two months before the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht.

battles and losses

Despite initial successes, the progress of the Allies was significantly hindered by the adverse weather conditions and the well -fortified German positions. Bad weather turned the terrain into a mud desert. This also meant that the 9th US Army could not attack for almost two weeks because the drainage facilities of the RUR dams were destroyed. An estimate by the losses resulted in 22,000 German soldiers and civilians; Some reports even speak of 44,000. The British and Canadian armed forces suffered 15,674 dead during the insane fights for Kranenburg, Wyler, cyff and other places.

The fights for Kleve and Materborn were bitter. After 30 hours of fight, Kleve was fully occupied. The British troops met with considerable obstacles from debris and other defense positions, which led to further delays. On February 22, the military government took over the administration of Goch after this location had also been taken.

strategic importance of operations

The Operation Veritible was part of a larger plan that was supposed to integrate the Anglo-Canadian 21st army group to break through the German defensive. Montgomery, whose strength was largely well recovered, planned the attack to distract the German forces and enable the Rhine to cross. However, the Allied advance experienced numerous difficulties because the terrain was heavily forested and the soil conditions were a logistical challenge.

In addition, there was another offensive approach, which is known as , which was carried out at the same time to distract the German armed forces at the same time. However, by the breakdown of the dam opening at the Roer River, the German water delivered the floods, which made the offensive even more difficult.